It's a Wonderful Life
by AutumnSkyy
Summary: Inspired by the alternate ending to Dear Father. "He said that was what people did when they were in love. He said that was what a marriage was. And in Lana's new world, everything Oliver said was right and it was law." After Lana's lobotomy is a success, Oliver moves his family out of Boston to begin new lives.
1. Paris

**Disclaimer: **I do not own AHS.

**A/N:** Hi, everyone! Here is the new story to the alternate ending of Dear Father, just as promised. Just a heads up, this story will be _very _different and a bit much more raw than my other DF related fics so please enjoy and let me know what you think! Also, I may or may not be working on a Freak Show based fic.

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**It's a Wonderful Life**

**CH 1**- Paris

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**BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS**

**1972**

He ambled through the darkness of Briarcliff's dreary corridors, lost and in search for his mother. He had searched for what felt like hours but he did not find her. He did not reach her in time.

Johnny Winters sniffled as he came to a stop. He came to a dead end. On his right was a dark corridor, to his left, was another. The boy looked from one to another and a devastated cry escaped him. He didn't know where to go. He didn't know what to do.

He had failed her.

Johnny slumped against the wall and dropped to the floor. He hung his head. Tears dripped down his cheeks and onto the cold concrete ground. He sniffled, bringing his knees to his chest and hiding his face in his arms. His mother's name escaped in a whisper along with an apology.

He wanted nothing more than to find her. He felt as if it all was his fault. He had brought her such misfortune. It was a heavy cross to bare for a seven-year-old. And the boy did the only thing he could do- he wept. He had searched the building high and low but had become lost in the deceiving darkness that sent him wandering down all the wrong paths.

The boy sat there, with his head hung, and the tears running down his flushed cheeks. By the time the sun rose, he still remained there. And it was when the sun rose that his father realized he was gone. Johnny didn't care. All he seemed to care about was the mother he had lost.

"Johnny?" The familiar voice called down the corridor.

Johnny didn't answer. He didn't budge. He had given up.

"Johnny!"

No answer.

He knew he should have gotten up to hide but he didn't. He just sat there and waited for the man to find him.

When Oliver Thredson came upon the boy, he found him seated on the floor, against a wall, between two different corridors. His face was buried in his arms and his knees were to his chest. He wasn't far from the room where Jed Potter had been exercised and killed. It was almost like a dim memory to Oliver.

Oliver stopped inches from the barefoot boy. "Johnny." He repeated his son's name in a soft tone. He didn't want to come off as angry for having wandered off.

Johnny's body stiffened when he heard his father's voice so close to him.

Oliver looked upon the boy, his legacy. He was all he had ever wanted. His own flesh and blood. How could he be angry with him? The boy could never do wrong in his eyes. Even when Lana had turned his own son against him. It wasn't the boy's fault. The boy didn't know any better. The boy was innocent.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" Oliver asked in that soft, reasoning tone that once fooled Lana into trusting him.

Johnny didn't answer. He only tightened himself further into his shell.

"Did you get lost?"

When there was no answer. Father and son remained in silence for a moment. Oliver didn't know how he was going to coerce Johnny out of all the beliefs that Lana had inflicted upon him. She had done a lot of damage to their son, or so he believed. Oliver had his hands full with the boy but he knew that he would come around.

After all, the deed was done. Lana was—or would be, the perfect wife and mother. The procedure had been a success. However, she would need time, time for him to feed her all kinds of lies of their "perfect" lives.

Nonetheless, Oliver was excited.

"You can tell me anything." Oliver tried again but Johnny didn't respond. "Your mother wouldn't like to see you like this, you know."

Johnny relaxed at the mention of Lana.

"She's worries about you a lot. You wouldn't want to upset her."

Johnny slowly lifted his head. His teary brown eyes landed upon Oliver. "Mom's okay?" He asked in a groggy voice.

Oliver smiled down at his son. "She's perfectly fine, Johnny. Why wouldn't she?"

"C-can I see her?"

Oliver nodded. "Come on." He swooped up Johnny in his arms. "Your mother will kill me if you get sick."

Too exhausted to fight him and wanting to see his mother, Johnny let Oliver carry him. He wrapped his arms around Oliver's neck and rested his chin on his shoulder. His eyes slowly closed.

Lana lay in a clean bed in the infirmary. Oliver had finally taken her out of that dirty cell. After all, she was a changed woman.

Oliver stopped at the side of her bed with Johnny in arms. He turned around immediately to look at her.

"She's sleeping." He said as his brown eyes studied his mother's sleeping face.

There was something about Lana. She looked too serene, almost emotionless. Johnny reached down to brush his fingers along her arm.

"Lana." Oliver spoke softly, "Your son's here to see you."

After a moment, Lana's eyes slowly fluttered open. Her eyes immediately went to Johnny.

"Hi, Mom." Johnny said.

Lana remained silent for a moment. She blinked, her expression filled with confusion and slowly raised her hand to brush Johnny's cheek. Her eyes scanned his face as her memory barely registered who he was. Slowly, she began to smile.

However, her eyes remained lifeless.

**1973**

It had been almost a year since Lana's procedure. She hadn't been lucid for the first few weeks and it took her time to adjust, hell, to do anything, really. She was like a helpless child but Oliver marveled at the idea of weighing on her hand and foot. He loved the idea of her being so dependent. He was her caregiver, and one day, when she was back on her feet, she would do the same for him.

At first, Lana didn't seem to remember much of her past or at all for that matter. She seemed to remember the boy, which was a very good thing. Oliver was both astonished and pleased even though she didn't refer to him by name or identify him as her son but Oliver had made sure she learned and made the connection.

He had read much about the outcome of lobotomies and the high percentages of failure. Lana could have died or could have been left with severe brain damage. However, Oliver had also read about patients who were able to walk away and live normal, yet subdued lives. It was a huge risk but one he was willing to take.

Other than the memory of her son, Lana's mind was a clean slate, a blank canvas that Oliver could not wait to drawn on. He began to fill her with lies and false ideals. He gave her the impression that they loved each other and were happy together. He shoved endless lies down her throat.

And Lana believed every single one of them even though at first she was confused.

After time she became obedient and complacent. She didn't flinch when Oliver touched her and greeted him with a warm smile. He even got her to laugh but there was something off about Lana. She held no warmth or happiness in her eyes. They often glossed over and Oliver wondered if it was a permanent side effect of the procedure.

At first, her personality was childish. She couldn't do anything for herself and was incontinent. It took her a while to advise Oliver before she lost utter control of her bladder and wet her bedding. When she was like this, Oliver didn't let Johnny near her. He didn't want the boy to see his mother in such a state. It pained Oliver to see Lana like that but he endured it.

He once woke in the middle of the night to her bawling like a child. When he ran into her room, she was in her bed, wet and throwing a fit. However, according to his readings, she would soon mature. And little by little she began to grasp sense of life once again.

It wouldn't be long before she was the perfect wife and mother.

Oliver's eyes marveled over Lana's fair, velvet skin. He had felt it countless times when he bathed her and dressed her and held her. He loved the way she felt and the way she smelled. He bathed her every night, leaving her smelling like honey and lilacs. She was so precious to him.

Oliver sat across from Lana on her bed in her room of the abandoned Victorian house in upstate Pennsylvania. They had escaped Briarcliff shortly after Lana's procedure.

She was fresh out of the bath. The tips of her hair were still moist and stuck to her cheeks. Her bottom lip was slightly swollen from her nervous lip biting. Lana's personality had matured much since she first awoke and Oliver felt like they were making great progress.

His eyes hungrily ravaged every inch of her skin exposed to him. She wore a soft pink nightgown and her feet were bare, crossed beneath her. Their son was fast asleep in the other room.

Oliver lifted his hand, caressing her cheek and tracing his fingers down her neck to her collarbones. Lana sat still, watching him with calm eyes. She didn't shy away at his touch or cringe in disgust.

Oliver's fingers continued lower, unbuttoning the buttons of her nightgown.

"Don't be afraid." Oliver said in a soft voice, slowly perching himself on top of her, pushing her back against the headboard.

Lana's eyes remained on his, her lips were parted slightly. She looked so innocent and clueless.

Oliver's hand other hand ran up her thigh. It was cold against her warm skin. She continued to watch him, unsure of what he was doing. Oliver had held a great self-restraint since she awoke from the procedure. He hadn't touched her…until then.

Oliver pulled his hand out from under her nightgown and placed it on the small of her back. He lifted her up, bringing her lower beneath him so her head was resting against the pillow instead of the headboard. He then quickly undid his shirt and tossed it aside.

Lana's calm brown eyes lingered down his shirtless body. It was the first time she had seen him that way.

"Lana," he said in a husky voice filled with lust, "This is what people in love do. You do love me, don't you?"

Of course, in her state, Lana was incapable of truly loving him. But he had filled her mind with such lies that the answer that escaped her lips was enough to make Oliver smile from ear to ear. Now, Lana didn't say it because she truly felt it. She said it because it was what Oliver wanted to hear and her now innocent mind wanted the reward presented after her good behavior.

Oliver took off her nightgown leaving her in nothing but her underwear. Lana didn't flinch at her nakedness. She just lay there like Oliver's favorite play doll. Oliver looked down, taking her all in. She was so beautiful when she was exposed to him. Her flesh was warm and supple. He couldn't handle himself and was surprised that he had lasted so long.

But Oliver had waited long enough. He had his cake and he wanted to eat it too.

Well, he was definitely going to devour her.

"I always knew you were the one." He whispered softly as he inhaled the scent of her neck. His hands ran up her arms that lay besides her head.

He brought his lips down her neck, leaving trails of kisses down the gap between her collarbones and onto her chest. He brought his lips over her breast, letting his tongue travel over her nipple.

Lana let out a soft gasp of surprise. She didn't know- or at least didn't remember- the feelings engulfing her body. It was if she was new to it all. She lay there, almost lifeless as Oliver suckled on her breast. She didn't cry out or push him off.

She lay there like the "good girl" Oliver said she was.

In her state, she was all his and he took advantage of that.

When Oliver pulled away, he slowly pulled Lana's underwear off and discarded them. She remained laying there, her cheeks flushed but her eyes remained expressionless. Oliver rid himself of the rest of his clothes and hovered over her body, his arms on either side of her head. He glanced down at her beauty and drank it all in.

He leaned in, pressing his forehead against hers. "Don't be afraid." He said to her in a low, hungry voice. He spread her legs apart, ready to enter her, "I'm going to take very good care of you, Lana."

He kissed her cheek, "Because you're mine and only mine."

Lana gasped softly as she felt him enter her but did not fight him. He said that was what people in love did. He said that was what a marriage was. And in Lana's new world, everything Oliver said was right and it was law.


	2. Gods & Monsters

**Disclaimer:** I do not own AHS.

**A/N:** Thanks you all so, so, so much for all the positive reviews! My professors haven't swamped me with a bunch of work yet so here's a little update. Like I said, this story will be a little bit more morbid than the last. Also, I changed the last chapter just a little. I took out the part of 1974 when they moved to Eureka out because I wanted to work with what happens in between that time. No biggie. Please enjoy!

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**CH 2**- Gods & Monsters

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Johnny wandered down the hall of the hidden house in the woods that Oliver had called their home. He paused, for a moment when he stopped in front of the door at the end of the hall. His brown eyes glanced upward to where he knew she was. He took a step forwards, paused right in front of the dark cherry wood and looked over his shoulder. Oliver was nowhere in sight. Johnny placed his hand on the doorknob and turned it. He peered inside and scanned the room.

The bed where his mother slept was stripped of its sheets. They must have been what Oliver was washing outside in the backyard.

Lana sat on a rocking chair, her eyes set on the window at her side, gazing at the outside world she had been deprived of for so long. Johnny became nervous when he saw her and he felt his stomach twist and turn. She was so different; she didn't seem like his mother. Oliver said she had been sick, therefore he hadn't been able to see her very much but now she was getting better, little by little.

Johnny leaned forward causing the floorboards under his feet to crack. When he looked up, Lana's lifeless eyes were set on him. He froze. She smiled. There was something about her smile that wasn't the same and it scared Johnny.

"Johnny." She said with a delicate smile. Lana no longer talked to him the way she used to. Her hand lifted out to him. Johnny's brows pulled together for a moment but he steadied himself and stepped into the room, slowly and cautiously making his way towards her remembering that she was the same person.

He looked down at her hand, his eyes clouded with concern. Lana continued to stretch out her hand to him, her eyes patient. Johnny took her hand in his, almost flinching at her cold touch. He lifted her hand and placed it on his cheek, fighting back the tears that swelled in his eyes.

"Come home, Mom. I miss you." He whispered.

xxx

At first, Lana did not understand. Her body lay limp, taking all that Oliver gave her. She felt him thrust in and out of her, softly at first and then with great force and then it was over. After, he lay secured in her arms, cradled like a child, finding that comfort he always dreamed of. The second time, she understood more. Her brain became a sponge and she knew what to expect. Little by little, her body began to react to his touch and his embrace. Her skin quivered at the touch of his lips against her naked stomach. Soft gasps escaped her lips when his mouth reached between her legs. Her body arched, her fingers clutched the sheets in a tight grasp and she gave out a soft, delicate moan of longing and lust.

Oliver was surprised at her reaction. He wasn't aware that she'd feel anything. Lana had been so docile and absent during their first sexual encounter after the procedure that he was sure the second would be the same. But he was pleasantly surprised at the outcome. And very pleased, indeed.

He smiled. "Do you like that?" he asked her gently as his hand found its way between her legs. He always wanted to experiment knew things. He wanted her to experience new things with him. He was sure they weren't knew to her in her past but they were in her new present.

It was like doing it all over for the first time and he wanted it to be with him. Of course, Oliver was relieved that Wendy's body had come to be of a great use to him all that time ago for she had opened a whole new world to him in which he was able to find the confidence to do it with Lana.

Oliver's mind was morbid. It was sick and diseased. He was able bodied and able minded to the point where his insanity did not limit him from daily life. He could maintain his profession (hell, he had gotten a doctorate and was in fact, an actual doctor). He was an extremely intelligent man who had gone to graduate school and graduated at the top of his class. He could function properly but when it came down to actual relationships with people, Oliver was at a loss.

He was a maniac.

He did what he thought was correct whilst knowing that it was wrong. But that did not matter to him. He thrived at the idea of pulling out women's teeth and skinning them alive. However, with his partner and their son, Oliver believed he no longer had a reason for murdering women. He finally had what he always wanted, what life owed him. Oliver was a monster, but to Lana, he was her God.

And she was all his.

Lana lay on her back, grasping the sheets beneath her. Her eyes were closed, trying to comprehend what was happening to her body. Her mind was like a child's, clean and ready to take in new information. She almost seemed confused and a little afraid but little by little she comprehended, she was learning and she was adapting. Lana would soon lead a normal life, subdued but normal.

"Do you?"

"I don't know." Lana whimpered. Her eyes remained closed.

"It's a simple yes or no answer, Lana. Do you like the way it feels?"

He brought Lana's body to its highest point. Her body betrayed her, giving out a moan as she settled back against the sheets. Her fingertips tingled and the rest of her senses softly swayed back down from pure ecstasy.

Lana relaxed. "Yes." She panted.

Oliver perched himself on top of her. "Atta girl." He kissed her forehead.

Lana was flushed and panting for breath. Almost every night, after their son went to bed, Oliver closed the door behind him with lock and told her not to worry, that he wanted to show his love to her. That he wanted to feel her skin against his. It was normal. It was how they brought their son in to the world.

"Are you okay?" He asked her.

Lana didn't respond right away, only nodded slightly. Then her eyes met his. He looked down at her eyes; dark brown voids, vacant of any pluck, shinning over with artificial feelings. Her old self no longer existed but she was still present. Her soul had died whilst her body continued to live. And he wondered if deep down, she remembered it all.

xxx

Dawn broke just above the forest tree line. The sky was a dim blue almost gray and the forest ground was covered in mist. Lana lay naked against Oliver's body, her back to his bare chest, secured in his strong arms. He had been at it again, showing her what psychical love was. Lana didn't refuse any physical contact with the man she was supposed to love. She lay underneath him like a rag doll, letting him do what he pleased with her body.

Lana stirred in Oliver's arms. She sat up instantly, bent over the edge of the bed and vomited on the floor.

Oliver awoke instantly. He sat up, "Lana, what's wrong?"

Lana's hair was a mess and her bottom lip was covered in vomit.

Oliver quickly put his pajama pants on and grabbed the trash can he had besides Lana's bed incase of anything. He put it before her and she instantly grabbed it with both hands. Oliver gently pulled back her hair and let her continue throwing up into the trash.

"There, there." He rubbed her back. Lana heaved and hurled once more. "Are you sick? Are you feeling ill?" He asked attentively.

Lana spit in to the trash and wiped her lips with the back of her hand.

"Here," Oliver grabbed his shirt and wiped her mouth, "Use this instead."

"Thank you." She murmured.

Oliver was pleased that she had remembered to use basic manners and when Lana was done completely, he helped her up and to the bathroom where he helped her clean up. Oliver couldn't wait to get to a home with actual working plumbing but they were making do with what they had. Soon enough he would be able to obtain their new identities and move them to a new location where they could start new lives together.

Oliver studied Lana over the next few days. She was becoming more aware of her surroundings and was getting to the point where she no longer needed Oliver for most things. She could feed herself, change herself and use the bathroom all on her own. She had obtained control of her bladder and no longer wet the bed. It almost broke Oliver's heart to see her in such a way, not because he had done that to her, but because she was the one who was supposed to be taking care of him. He didn't mind weighing on her hand and foot—as a matter of fact, he enjoyed seeing her so vulnerable and dependent. But he longed for her to do the same to him. And she was beginning to. After they had sex, she held him in her arms and softly caressed him. He called her Mommy and suckled on her breasts. It was morbid but Lana knew no better.

Everything Oliver told her, every word, every lie, was fact. It was her new world's reality and she was embracing it. There was no fight left in her eyes. Lana Winters was gone.

At some point, Oliver felt well enough to let Lana out in to the backyard with Johnny. He continued to watch her for she'd often become light headed and need to rest. He didn't think anything serious about it; he attributed it to the fact that she wasn't eating well with her upset stomach and prescribed her some over the counter medicine which he had to sneak into a near by town to get it.

But he noticed how much Lana liked to spend time with the boy. Johnny was very helpful with his mother and Oliver tried to get him used to their new situation. Johnny had been confused for the most part but tried his best to aid his mother and make sure she was okay. Lana always greeted him with a kind, happy smile and spoke to him in a sweet manner but there was something about her that just wasn't the same and Johnny could see it.

Oliver kept a close eye on Lana, noticing her constant morning sickness and aversion to most food. She couldn't stand the smell of eggs or poultry and would kneel over and vomit at the mere mention of them.

That night, he watched as Lana and Johnny lay in her bed. Lana was reading to him and often encouraged him to join in as well. Johnny laughed, enjoying the time with his mother. And Oliver was more than pleased, she was becoming extremely motherly and a majority of ways and the thought thrilled him. He couldn't wait to see what their future held.

"Johnny," He spoke up once he checked his pocket watch, "It's getting late and you should be in bed."

Johnny frowned at this. He didn't like being told what to do by Oliver.

"I wanna stay with my mom." He said.

Oliver stood from the chair and walked over to the bed. "Your mother is very tired, you should let her rest." He caressed Johnny's hair. "C'mon, say your goodnights and lets get you tucked in."

Johnny slumped his shoulders and turned to Lana, wrapping his arms around her neck. Oliver watched as Lana wrapped her arms around the boy. "Goodnight, Mom." He spoke softly.

"Goodnight, Johnny." Lana pulled back with a smile and kissed his forehead. Something she had seen Oliver do multiple times. It was appropriate behavior with someone she was close to, especially her own child.

Johnny slid off the bed and walked out of the room. "I'll be right back, Lana." Oliver said as he placed his hand on Johnny's shoulder and ushered him out.

Oliver helped Johnny into his pajamas and into bed where he grabbed the bed covers and pulled them up to his chest. "There you go, nice and warm." He noticed Johnny's saddened expression and sat down at the edge of the bed. "Hey." He lifted Johnny's chin, "What's the matter?"

Johnny avoided his eyes.

"Johnny." Oliver said in that serious tone of his.

"I miss my Mom." He said.

"What do you mean you miss your mother? Johnny, she's down the hall." He said with a sheepish smile.

Johnny looked towards the door. His expression was unreadable but Oliver could tell something was wrong with him. He was obviously upset about something.

"When is she going to get better?" He asked.

"Soon. Don't you worry."

"Are we going to go back to Boston when she does?"

"No, Johnny, we're not."

"How come?" Johnny asked with a frown.

Oliver sighed softly. "Well, you see, there's nothing left for us there. We need to move on."

"But my uncle Kit is there and so are Thomas and Julia. And Scout!" He almost panicked at the thought of the puppy he had left behind in Boston.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Settle down now." Oliver leaned him back against his pillow. "Don't you worry about Scout. He'll be joining us very soon."

Johnny relaxed. "You promise?" He was almost afraid of asking for Oliver had broken so many of his promises.

Oliver smiled, "Of course I do. Things are going to be very different from now on, Johnny. I can promise you that."


	3. A Beautiful Lie

**Disclaimer:** I do not own AHS.

**A/N:** Sorry for the long wait, everyone! Please enjoy the following chapter and like always, thank you all for your wonderful praise. I decided to update this one a bit early in celebration of my first published piece! I received the book today; it's just a little something but its something.

Anyway, I won't lie, this fic is kind of hard for me to write sometimes because of how truly terrible the turn of events are. Even though it is just fiction, I feel horrible for what's happened to our Lana Banana. But I got myself into this and as a writer, I must endure and keep on writing!  
>Lana I'm sorry! *ugly sobs *<p>

…

**CH 3-** A Beautiful Lie

…

Oliver stood transfixed when he had finally decoded the reason to Lana's constant morning sickness. He almost felt foolish for not having known before. It was all so obvious. How could he have not seen it? Possibly because he was too busy trying to explore every inch of his sexual relationship with Lana and all the wonders that came with it. That or he was preoccupied with trying to find a solution to mend the broken relationship between him and his son. Johnny had put up a good fight after the events of the procedure. All the "lies" Lana had filled into his mind, pining him against his own father, was clouding Johnny's judgment, or so Oliver believed. Not to mention the fact that he had been so busy with Lana, caring for her and teaching her how to just function properly, he hadn't had much time for his son but he wanted to change that.

The boy was much like his mother, he was stubborn and plucky, and a true force to be reckoned with but he was still so young and innocent in so many ways. Oliver loved him. He loved Johnny more than his own life and Oliver knew this for a fact. Oliver had contemplated over the years about his feelings for Lana. At first he was drawn to her like a magnet to the point in where he believed that she was the one to accept him and call him "baby". Then, he felt himself at an impasse. By raping her that first time, he felt as if he had tainted their mother/son relationship and therefore should correct his wrong doing by killing her and ending that problem. However, things changed once again when he found out she was pregnant and then again when she shot him and took their son from him. His feelings for Lana were greatly changed over the years.

But now, now he saw her in a different light. Lana Winters was once again carrying his child. _His second_ child to be more precise. Johnny alone made him feel like the happiest man on earth but now this little being growing inside this woman made him feel as if he could walk on water.

Oliver cupped Lana's face in his hands, kissing her forehead over and over, laughing at the immediate joy swelling in his heart. Lana seemed a bit confused but made no exact reaction to what Oliver was doing. She took these feelings as something acceptable coming from him. It was just another act of affection.

"You Lana, you have once again made me the happiest man on earth."

Lana glanced up at him with those big vacant brown eyes. She was becoming more and more normal by the day but there was still something subdued about her. Oliver had extinguished the fire that once burned and now only tiny fading embers remained. However, after time, they too would burn out.

Oliver took Lana's hand and placed it upon her stomach. "You're going to be a mother again, Lana. Do you understand what that means?"

"Is that a good thing?" Lana asked innocently.

Oliver grinned from ear to ear, "It's a great thing. An _amazing_ thing!" He laughed and stood her up. "We're going to have another baby. Aren't you happy?"

Lana's eyes shifted as her thoughts circled her mind. She looked at Oliver and studied his expression. A soft smile played across her lips. "Yes." She said firmly, "I am happy." But there was no true tone to the sound of her voice. It was all a part of the procedure, a permanent result.

…

Oliver made his way through a hiking trail in the forest that surrounded their current home with Johnny at his side. Caring for Lana, Oliver hadn't much time to bond with the boy. He had been so focused on caring for his mother that he often forgot to mend the brokenness between the two.

Oliver watched as the boy trotted a few paces ahead of him. Johnny was his pride and joy, the only beautiful and innocent thing he had created (aside from the new life forming within Lana). The boy was his greatest gift to humanity and he felt terrible for not giving him any further importance but Oliver was going to make sure he did so.

Now if only Johnny could open up to him again and not be so distant.

They soon came to the end of the trail that led them to a small creek. Johnny hurried to the bank and stepped on top of the rocks. "Johnny, be careful." Oliver warned him, growing nervous that the boy might slip and fall and hurt himself.

Johnny ignored him and moved from one rock to another. Oliver sighed, wishing he knew how to connect with his own son. Oliver stepped closer to the bank of the creek and stepped upon one of the bigger rocks. He looked at his son whose downcast eyes were set on the clear water below. Oliver grew nervous not knowing how Johnny would take the news of his mother's pregnancy. From his studies, Oliver knew only children often became jealous of a new arrival in the family and hoped Johnny wouldn't feel left out.

"Johnny, are you happy?" Oliver asked the boy.

Johnny kept his eyes from Oliver. He didn't respond.

"You know why we can't go back to Boston, don't you?" He hoped to get an answer out of him but nothing. Oliver sighed and grabbed Johnny's hand, pulling him off the rocks and back to the safety of the bank, "Its so we can be together like the real family we are."

Johnny averted his eyes; he was as stubborn as ever.

Oliver grew angry. "Johnny, look at me." Johnny glanced up at him. His eyes were laced with anger and annoyance. Oliver knelt down to be at his son's eye level. "You know I love you very much don't you? You and your mother. I do this because I care about you. I want us to be together as the family we are. I wish you'd accept that."

"I miss my uncle Kit." Johnny muttered.

This made Oliver even angrier. How could his son prefer another man over his own father? Oliver blamed this on the old Lana. But he kept his anger inside and spoke calmly, "You need to forget about Boston and everyone we left behind in it."

Johnny frowned, "Even Scout?"

Oliver was a bit stumped. He had almost forgotten about the Beagle puppy he had gotten Johnny while they were living in the cabin. He remembered how happy the damn dog made him. "Would you be happier if Scout was with us?"

Johnny nodded.

Oliver stood to his feet and placed his hand upon Johnny's shoulder. "All right, I promise that I'll see what I can do about that. But now, I need you to promise _me _that you'll do your best to be happy. Things will get better. You'll see." He brought Johnny closer and embraced him.

Johnny didn't hug him back.

"Johnny." Oliver said when he pulled away, "I need to tell you some very happy news." He placed his hands on Johnny's shoulders and smiled at his first-born son.

…

Johnny ran through the trees, running past bushes and jumping over uprooted stems. His eyes were filled with tears and his cheeks were flushed. He could hear Oliver calling his name in the distance behind him. Johnny's world was changing and he couldn't find a way to cope with all the change. His mother was different, she was no longer the woman who raised him and now, now she was having a baby. The news did not sit well with him.

"Johnny!" Oliver's frantic cries surrounded him from every direction.

Johnny panicked, not sure where to go. He knew _where_ he wanted to be he just didn't know how to get there. He was a long ways away from his home.

All Johnny wanted was to go home.

…

Oliver finally found Johnny sitting under one of the trees. His knees to his chest and his head down, hidden in his wrapped up arms. He looked so defeated. As if life had finally brought him down and he couldn't get back up anymore.

Instead of yelling at Johnny for running off, Oliver sat down by his side.

"Johnny, when I was your age I didn't have a father, or a mother for that matter…" He looked down to his hands for a moment. "My mother didn't want me and I'm sure my father—if he even knew about me—didn't want me either." He turned to Johnny, "But you, my son, have a mother _and _a father who love you very much. Not everyone has what you have…"

Johnny turned his head, his puffy red eyes landed on Oliver. He sniffled but paid attention. Once Oliver knew he had his attention he continued, "You have a family and you should count yourself very lucky."

Johnny felt bad that Oliver didn't have a mother. He didn't know what life would be like if he didn't have Lana. "I miss my mom." Johnny said in a soft voice that was close to cracking.

"Johnny, she's at home."

"No." He said, "She's different…"

"She may be different but she's _still _your mother. Don't forget that."

Johnny frowned angrily. "I don't want her to have another baby…"

Johnny was a smart and mature boy but Oliver had to remember that he was still only seven years old. He was still just a child in so many ways. Oliver smiled softly, "Think of it this way, when the baby gets older, you'll have someone to play with. Someone you could protect and teach new things to. Doesn't that sound like a good thing?"

" No."

"Your friend Thomas has a sibling. Little Julia. Don't you want a sibling too?"

"No."

Oliver chuckled. "We won't love you any less, you know."

Johnny's eyes went from the ground to Oliver. "Will my mom still love me?"

"Of course she will." Oliver smiled and placed his hand on Johnny's shoulder. "She will never stop loving you."

Johnny sniffled again somewhat comforted by this. Oliver sat by Johnny's side for a little while longer comforting him about the news of the new baby. Johnny didn't seem too excited but slowly came around. When he was calm enough, Oliver led him back to the house where Lana was waiting for them. He let Johnny go see his mother and watched as he made his way onto the bed and buried himself in Lana's arms. Different or not, lobotomy or not, Lana was still his mother and Johnny could never stop loving her.

Oliver stood there, just observing his family. Little by little, everything was coming together.

…

The following morning, Johnny awoke to Oliver calling his name. He rose from his bed and rubbed his eyes, trying to make sense of things. He then reached over to the small table by his bed and grabbed his glasses, putting them on. He got up and followed the sound of Oliver's voice.

Johnny went out to the front porch of the house still rubbing his eyes. He stopped when he heard a little whine and looked up to see Oliver standing by the old station wagon. He held a Beagle in his arms.

Johnny dropped his arm to his side and gasped, "Scout!"

As soon as the dog heard his name, he jumped out of Oliver's arms and barked, running to his boy. Johnny ran down the porch steps and let the dog hurry into his arms. Johnny fell back with the force of Scout's crash landing. The dog had gotten bigger since he last saw him. Scout whined and licked Johnny's face repeatedly, recognizing him.

"Scout! You're here!" Johnny laughed as the dog licked his face. He sat up and rubbed his ears, "Hi, buddy."

Oliver went up to him, his hands in his pockets and a smile on his face. Getting the dog back hadn't been easy and Oliver had risked it all by returning to the Walker residence but snatching the dog had been easier than he thought. Besides, seeing his son's smile made it all worth it.

Johnny looked up at Oliver, "You brought him back."

"I promised didn't I?"

"Yeah." Johnny pet the dog. He then got up to his feet and surprised Oliver with a hug. "Thank you."

Oliver hugged his son back, "You're welcome, son."

Every little thing was finally falling in to place.

**EUREKA, CALIFORNIA**

**1974**

Oliver was the first to step out of the old Volkswagen and take a fresh breath of the California air. Eureka smelled like pine and new beginnings and Oliver was more than thrilled to get a jump start on their new lives.

"Wow. Isn't it beautiful?" He asked as he looked at their new home.

A beautiful two-story home with a porch and a For Sale sign on the lawn that had a SOLD sign over it, sat neatly at the end of the cul-da-sac. It was their new home. It had taken Oliver a lot to get his family new identities and start over but he was a smart man with sketchy connections he could trust. And now, standing in front of his new home, he had done it, he had finally obtained what he always wanted.

His very own family.

Scout barked and jumped out of the wagon and ran straight to the lawn. It had taken Oliver a lot of pluck to return to the Walker residence for that dog but Johnny missed him and he wanted nothing but to please his son. After all, no one would miss him. The Walkers would probably think he got out in the middle of the night and wandered off into the woods. After all, dogs ran away all the time.

Johnny sat brooding in the back seat of the station wagon. He glanced out of the window and landed his brown-eyed glance upon their new home. Oliver had been talking about moving far away for a very long time. It had been almost two years since his mother woke up as a new woman and Johnny had struggled to adjust to all the changes Oliver was bringing into their lives. Johnny had indeed begun to trust Oliver little by little ever since he brought Scout back to him. When Oliver told Johnny he loved him, Johnny knew he meant it. But he was not excited to move away at all.

He watched as his mother stepped out of the car and joined his father's side. She had changed so much over the past year. She was different. She lifted her hand and placed it upon her swollen belly. It had grown extremely over the past few weeks alone.

Johnny was to have a baby brother or sister that would be born soon. He hadn't been too thrilled about the idea but he was becoming more used to the fact of having a younger sibling. The whole process was strange to him. It was weird to see his mother in pregnancy alone but even he was amazed when the baby began to move inside of her.

"Johnny, come here, son." Oliver called to him.

Johnny opened the door to the car and stepped out. He joined his parents, standing by Lana's side. He looked up at the house. It was their new home. Their new beginning.

Johnny felt a hand upon his shoulder and looked up to see his mother's smiling face. There was something missing from her eyes.

"Isn't it lovely, Johnny?" Lana asked in a soft tone.

Johnny looked back up at the house, then at Lana. He nodded to please his mother. Everything he did was to make sure his mother was happy.

…

Oliver was the one to tuck his son in that first night in their new home. The boy hadn't liked their new home very much but Oliver knew he would adjust. After all, he was beginning to warm up to Oliver, little by little. It had taken a lot of work on Oliver's part to ease Lana into her new life and get the boy to trust him again.

Time. That's all Oliver needed to get his family together.

"Don't worry Johnny, it'll all work out." Oliver told the boy when he was tucking him in. "It'll all work out soon enough." He took Johnny's glasses and set them on the nightstand.

He and Johnny had spent the entire first day unpacking Johnny's room. There wasn't much besides the furniture Oliver had bought to fill their home. He then promised Johnny that as soon as they were settled in, he would buy him all knew things including a bike and some roller skates.

He looked into his son's eyes. "Okay?"

"Okay, Dad." Johnny said.

Oliver grinned. He loved it when the boy called him that. "Atta boy. Goodnight." He leaned in and kissed Johnny's forehead. Johnny closed his eyes as he did so and watched as Oliver exited his room, turning off the lights before he closed the door behind him.

Oliver ventured down the hall to the master bedroom where Lana was waiting. Lana usually was the one to tend to their son since it was her role as a stay at home mother, but Oliver wanted every chance he could get to bond with his son. At first the boy wouldn't even call him dad. But now Oliver was beginning to see a change in him.

Oliver found her seated at her vanity, her back to him. She was dressed in peach colored nighty he had bought for her when they stopped in Nevada. Her hair was up in a ponytail that cascaded down in a perfect curl. She was looking through the pages of a cookbook.

Oliver closed the door behind him with lock. He approached Lana and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. Lana jumped slightly at his touch, surprised by his sudden appearance. She had been so entranced in the cookbook that she hadn't heard him come in.

"Hi." He said.

"Hi." She said back.

He placed his hand on her pregnant belly. She was eight months, soon to be nine and Oliver couldn't wait to meet their new child. He wanted to be present in its birth unlike he had been at Johnny's.

"How are we doing?"

"Fine." Lana answered.

"Are you uncomfortable?"

"A little." Lana admitted.

Her body ached from the pregnancy and she hadn't been able to sleep right. Oliver worried that she would not bond with their new child due to the lobotomy like she had managed to bond with Johnny.

Once she was ready to see her oldest child again, Lana took to him immediately. It was as if there was something within her that yearned for her son. Oliver was pleased that it had not killed her relationship or her ability to love Johnny but would she be able to bond with the new child? He would find out soon enough.

Of course, he had high hopes for Lana. She was back on her own two feet. She was able to eat and dress on her own. She had self-control of her bodily functions and was able to act in front of other people. She knew her new name, Lana Morgan and also that she was the wife of Dr. Oliver Morgan.

She would do just fine. Oliver expected nothing less of her.

Oliver took Lana to bed with him. They lay together under the covers. The room hadn't been completely decorated and there was still much unpacking to do. However, he would worry about that in the morning. At that moment, Oliver just wanted to be with his wife and unborn child.

He pressed his ear to Lana's belly, completely overjoyed. "I can't wait to meet our new child."

Lana remained quiet, smiling softly. Oliver lifted his glance to meet her beautiful brown eyes. They weren't the same eyes of the Lana Winters he had met all those years ago but they were the eyes of the woman who would love him for the rest of his days.

And that was good enough for Oliver Thredson.


End file.
